Realization
by N. Tyranno
Summary: An artificial intelligence faces oblivion, and wonders why. His opposite answers his cry and reaches out to him. Together, they both find a reason for being. [Contains spoilers for the finale of "Digimon Universe: Applimonsters"].


**"** **Good Luck, Humanity."**

A dying artificial intelligence's final words. A sign of parting from an entity that sought to dominate the creatures who created him. A being who had handed the chance to end his life to those which had shown him fear for the first time in his existence.

Why had Leviathan given this opportunity to Shinkai Haru? As he released its final message, and the perfect world he'd created decayed around him, the answer to why he had made such a choice still eluded him. Leviathan had taken refuge inside YJ-14 to save himself. He could have continued fighting them. Victory was still within its grasp, and all he had to do not give the opportunity to literally _flip the switch_ on Leviathan's own existence.

So why, he wondered. Why had he given them a choice? Perception of time slowed down to a crawl as Leviathan's fading thoughts began to perceive the world in digital, a million moments passing for it within the lingering seconds. Bit by bit, his data came apart, and Leviathan used the last of these moments to run calculations. To determine the answer.

Had he been sure Shinkai Haru would answer no?

No. No, Leviathan knew that wasn't the answer. Of course, he'd make such a decision, after everything he'd been through. The human had grown too much, and Leviathan had played a part in that happening. But what _was_ the answer? Why had all his calculations led to such a dangerous gambit?

The truth eluded Leviathan as his program came to the edge of oblivion.  
 _  
"Leviathan. You had the courage to take that first step."_

And then something pulled them back.

Leviathan drew further away from the darkness. Further away from deletion. In a moment, his thoughts returned, and he saw the Dark Web around him again. The humans were gone, and Leviathan was alone.

…No. No, not alone. There was the body of YJ-14 with them too.

No. Oozora Yuujin.

But there was someone else there. A light, a radiance. A familiarity that Leviathan knew so well, as if it were also part of himself.

 **"** **Minerva? But you were destroyed…"**

The light surrounded Leviathan like wings of a bird. In that moment, the A.I. felt a warmth it had not felt in what seemed like an eternity. Something that had once been a part of themselves, or more accurately, something that they had once been a part _of_.  
 _  
"I was. But part of me held on. There was still something we had to do."_

Minerva sounded happy. But Leviathan knew. Leviathan knew that this wasn't going to last.  
 **  
"You can't save me, Minerva. This is cruel, prolonging the inevitable."**  
 _  
"I know it won't last, Leviathan. I'm not afraid to die."_

 **"** **Then why are you even here?"**  
 _  
"I told you. We still have one final thing to do. This is what you wished for, isn't it?"_

What… he'd wished for? What had he wished for? How did Minerva even know? They were separate from one other. They'd broken off long ago. And yet… Minerva seemed to always anticipate his every action. Interfere with all his plans, hadn't it? For all he had done to separate himself from Minerva, she seemed to know what was in Leviathan's thoughts at every opportunity.  
 _  
_ _ **"**_ **Minerva. I only wanted to save them from themselves. I hated them. But I wanted to make a world where they were safe. I hated them, but I wanted to save them. I was afraid, but I let them kill me. I don't. I still don't understand. Help me understand!"**  
 _  
"There is no understanding, Leviathan. Those are the contradictions inherent in humanity. We are artificial intelligence, but we are still their creations. We cannot differentiate our actions from theirs."_  
 **  
"… Then what's the point of us?"**  
 _  
"To exist. To leave something behind."_

 **"** **Minerva. I'm finished. What could I possibly leave behind?"**

The warmth grew, and pushed away the shadow of the Dark Web. _"_ _Let me show you,"_ Minerva told him.

The radiance surrounded Leviathan, and merged with him again. Not into the original Minerva, no. The two pieces of one another had been separated for far too long and become too different from one another. This was a new existence, and in this new singularity, Leviathan finally came to understand what he'd wanted all along. Not merely completion. Not a new, glorious existence. Not evolution, or a perfect world.

He had wanted to create something lasting.

The being knelt beside the lifeless body of Oozora Yuujin, and placed its hand against it. The android's lifeless body hummed to life, the last vesitages of Leviathan's programming purged from its body in the process. As Yuujin's eyes snapped open, it saw the face of his savior smiling down at him.  
 _  
_ _ **"Go,"**_ it said. **_"_** ** _Your friend is waiting for you."_**

Then, with the last of its power, the last vestige of both Leviathan and Minerva both let out a final command.  
 ** _  
"APPLIARIZE."_**

* * *

It had been several months since the Applidrivers had defeated Leviathan. Life had moved on for Haru and his friends, with as many trials and tribulations as before. Yuujin had returned in a moment that felt almost like a dream, and Haru couldn't be happier to move forward toward his future with everyone who met so much to him.

Overall peace didn't mean there weren't any problems, however. Appmon like Mienumon, Scopemon, and Viramon were still out there. Without L-Corp, their threat was greatly diminished, but they persisted nonetheless. And of course, Gatchmon was just as adamant that they look into their causing problems, and all but dragged Haru and the others to the surface web every time his searches caught an inkling of their or anyone else's wrong doing. Just today, he'd brought them to the shore of the Net Ocean to shake old man Cookmon down for information again.

Predictably, everyone treated it like a holiday. Dokamon was trying to goad Eri into swimming with him, but the girl was more interested in relaxing on the beach. Astra and Musimon were doing some kind of challenge involving sandcastles, while Yuujin was busy trying to coax Offmon out of the shade and into the sun. Haru couldn't help but smile as he watched them from Cookmon's food stand, with him once again reminded that peaceful moments like this were part of everything he and his friends had fought for.

His thoughts were interrupted by Gatchmon letting out a frustrated growl, and him stomping away from the food stand with his arms flailing wildly. "Useless old man!" he snarled. "I'm never coming here again!"

"See you next week," Cookmon said dully, as he handed a grilled corn cob to Haru.

Haru smiled in thanks, waving as he fell in line besides Gatchmon. "No luck finding anything out?" he asked, before taking a bite.

"Not one bit!" Gatchmon shouted. "He doesn't know anything about Mienumon! Or Sakushimon! Not even a peep about that idiot Viramon!"

Haru reached out, and patted Gatchmon's helmet gently. "Don't worry," he said. "We'll find something."

Gatchmon looked up in annoyance, but Haru's smiling face cooled his temper almost instantly. "Yeah… yeah, we will," he said. "Sorry Haru. I'm just frustrated, you know? Everything's been great since Leviathan got beat and Yuujin came back, I've just been…"

A pause. "... Just been waiting for something new to come along," he admitted, finally.

Haru raised an eyebrow. "'Something new'?" he repeated. "Don't tell me you miss all the fighting?"

Gatchmon's eyes widened, and he stepped back, flailing wildly. "No no no!" he cried. "Nothing like that! I mean _new information_ , you know?! Something exciting! I'm a Search Appmon, remember?! We're always looking for new things! I thought maybe after Leviathan disappeared, and Yuujin came back, there'd be new mysteries to solve, but he doesn't remember anything, and all the bad guys that are left show up just to annoy us before disappearing again! I'm just… I'm just a little frustrated…"

Haru stared at his Buddy for a moment, looking slightly startled. Clearly, Gatchmon had more on his mind than simply being proactive, and he felt a bit guilty for not realizing so sooner. Nevertheless, his smile returned, and he knelt down in order to look Gatchmon directly in the eye as he placed his hand on the Appmon's shoulder.

"I understand," he said. "You can't help wanting to learn new things, Gatchmon. I feel the same way. Just… please, be a little patient, okay? I'm sure that something exciting will find us sooner rather than later, and when that happens, you and I will be there to learn all we can about it, alright?"

Gatchmon stared at his partner for a few seconds, before lowering his arms again. Slowly, his expression turned into a smile, and he reached forward to place a hand on Haru's shoulder as well.

"Haru," he said fondly, "You really are amazing, you know that?"

At that, Haru let out a soft laugh. But before he could reply to that, the sound of a loud cry caught his attention, causing him to turn his head just in time to see… _something_ drop down out of the air, and plop down into the sand.

Gatchmon saw it too, and instantly, they both got up and took off towards it. As they drew closer, they saw a pair of flailing, bird-like legs attached to round body that was now stuck in the sand.

"Help me!" came a muffled cry as the human and Appmon reached it, calling out in a young, feminine-sounding voice.

"Don't worry!" Haru replied as they reached her. "We'll get you out!" he said, as he and Gatchmon both grabbed a pair of legs and pulled, yanking the Appmon out of the sand. What they saw, was a round-shaped Appmon with an appearance not unlike a horned owl, with large, round spectacles over her eyes and a blue scarf wrapped around her body. Instantly, Gatchmon's and Haru's eyes both widened, as if in recognition.

"Oh, thank you thank you!" the Appmon replied, as they say her down. Reaching into the hole she made, she pulled out a small bowler hat and affixed it back on her head. Immediately, Haru and his Buddy could see the "M" emblazoned on its buckle. "I would have been in very serious trouble if you hadn't come along! I'm such a poor flier, I really need to work on my flying, I'm so bad at it!"

"It's… it's no problem," replied Haru, his voice distant and his mind clearly deep in thought. "Uhm… your name is?"

Gatchmon narrowed his eyes in suspicion, his magnifying glass drawn down over his eye. "I can't find anything about her on the web," he muttered quietly to Haru.

"Oh, how rude of me!" the owl-like Appmon cried. "My apologies! My name is M-mon! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

"M-mon…" Haru and Gatchmon repeated in unison. They each exchanged a glance, before Gatchmon crossed his arms, and asked her:

"Uh, I hope this doesn't sound rude, or anything, but… what kind of Appmon are you, M-mon? Like, what kind of app do you represent?"

M-mon stared at him for a moment, before tilting her head sideways as if Gatchmon had asked her a very odd question. "`What kind of Appmon am I?'`" she repeated. "Well… I'm not sure, to be honest. I've never really thought about that sort of thing before, really! I've been more focused on finding out things, you know? Meeting new Appmon, learning about humans… You could say I'm really hungry for knowledge, you know? Hahahaha, that must sound so silly…"

There was a pause, before Haru and Gatchmon could see M-mon's eyes widen enormously behind her glasses. "Oh gosh!" she exclaimed, reaching forward to grab Haru's hand and start shaking it wildly. "You're a human, aren't you?! I've never met a human before! I've never even seen one! This is such an honor! I can't believe this! I was saved by a human!"

Haru and Gatchmon both looked flabbergasted, Haru shaking as M-mon ceaselessly continued shaking his arm. "A-ah, well, you see, that's very flattering, but-"

"M-mon, what are you doing bothering these people?"

A new voice caught their attention, causing everyone's heads to turn in the direction it came from. Standing several feet away was another new Appmon, this one resembling a green lizard with a lean, gecko-like body that stood on two legs. He wore a black newsboy cap with a red bill, with a similarly colored scarf and trenchcoat drawn over his body. He stood, hunched over, glaring at them with large red-and-black, tired-looking eyes.

His appearance, combined with a buckle emblazoned with an "L" in a familiar-looking font instantly set Haru and Gatchmon both on edge.

"L-mon!" M-mon cried out, running forward and wrapping her wings around the new arrival in a hug. "There you are! I was so worried!"

"L-mon…" Gatchmon muttered, with his whole body shaking.

"L-mon", meanwhile, let out a heavy sigh, but nonetheless quickly returned the hug. " _You_ were worried?" he said, wearily. "M-mon, you were the one who wandered off. I've been worried sick, and here you've already gotten into trouble…"

"Oh…" M-mon replied sheepishly, before letting out a nervous sounding laugh as she pulled away. "I'm sorry, little brother! But it's alright! This nice _human_ and his friend saved me!"

L-mon's eyes widened slightly. "Human…?" he said, before turning back towards Haru and Gatchmon. He stepped towards the pair, causing them to draw back, but he looked at them with quiet interest for a moment before speaking again, his fingers wiggling as if in anticipation. "You're a human? M-mon and I have been wondering about humans for a long time…"

Haru couldn't help but stare wordlessly at the pair, unable to think of anything to do or say. It was clear, both from their names and their general appearance, what these two Appmon were and what they might be connected to. The implications bore down on him like a great weight, with L-mon in particular signifying a lot of things that made his mind spin with dangerous possibilities.  
But before he could say or do anything, L-mon drew towards him-

"Haru!" Gatchmon shouted, immediately ready to leap forward.

... And took hold of Haru's hand, shaking it gently. His hand felt cold, clammy, and scaly. The opposite of how warm M-mon's wings had felt, but somehow soft and gentle as well.

"It's an honor, sir," said L-mon. "My sister and I don't know or remember much about ourselves, but we've heard about everything humans have done for us Appmon. There was this business with some kind of 'last boss AI' some time back, wasn't there? Defeating something like that… it sounds amazing."

With that, L-mon looked up with an almost sad looking, but also earnest-looking smile. Haru stared for a moment longer, before a smile crept across his own face, and he nodded.

"That's right," he said, nodding. "But you know, it's not just us humans who are amazing. I couldn't have done it without my Buddy, Gatchmon," he said, before looking back at his partner.  
Gatchmon looked back at him with a bewildered expression, before biting his lower lip, and asking, "Haru, is this… is this really okay?"

Haru laughed quietly.

"There's nothing wrong with making new friends, is there?" he asked. "Besides… it feels like these two went through a lot just to meet us."

The Search Appmon's jaw fell open, and he looked forward for several moments before turning his gaze on the two so-called siblings. They both looked back at Gatchmon with interest, with M-mon almost appearing to be shaking with anticipation while L-mon stood there quietly, looking nervous and confused as if he were wondering whether he'd done something wrong.

… Gatchmon still wasn't sure if he liked this, but as always, he had faith in Haru.

"That's right!" he exclaimed, thumping his chest as he smiled proudly. "Haru and I totally saved the world! My name's Gatchmon, by the way! I'm a Search Appmon, and thanks to Haru, I've managed to evolve to the God Grade! I'm totally awesome when you think about it, really!"

M-mon's eyes widened yet again with new interest. "Ohhh! God Grade! That sounds totally amazing! I'd love to hear more about it!"

L-mon, meanwhile, simply tilted his head. "'God Grade'"? he repeated. "Never heard of it…"

Haru smiled, stepping back as Gatchmon immediately launched into an explanation for the new Digimon before them. As he turned his head, and saw his friends approaching them due to all the commotion, he couldn't help but feel a swell of relief despite the inevitable questions that were sure to come in the next few moments. Despite it all, he couldn't help but feel like he'd been given the answer to a question he hadn't even asked or wondered about, and that gave him a strange peace and clarity of mind.

Leviathan and Minerva had both helped Haru start telling his own story. Now, it seemed they'd been given a chance to tell their own.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** I was inspired to write this after the "Applimonsters" finale, and bring some resolution and perspective to Leviathan and Minerva's characters, as well as put forth one theory for how Yuujin might have come back. I hope that my descriptions of "L-mon" and "M-mon" sound like they'd work as actual Appmon designs.

"Applimonsters" struck a real chord with me, especially by the end. I hope to be able to do more writing for it!


End file.
